primal chair - 2022
1st PLACE:GAŠPER FABIJAN, ANIMA RELINQUES CORPUS, SLOVENIA
"What has happened this year is just the beginning of a very uncomfortable story," says Prof. Dr. Tom Levanič from the Slovenian Forestry Institute about this year's forest fires. The consequences of global warming have never manifested themselves so directly in Slovenia as they did this summer. Fires have destroyed thousands of hectares of forest, leaving only ashes behind. Unfortunately, this summer is not an exception that we will remember for a long time. Experts warn that heatwaves will become much more frequent year after year. The chair can be made from various types of wood. The components of the "dead" chair are treated using the traditional Japanese technique of wood preservation Yakisugi (Shou Sugi Ban), where wood is protected by charring. Charring makes the wood more resistant to fire, pests, and decay. The other part, which seemingly stands out from the deceased chair - the soul of the chair - remains in its natural state. The entire chair is coated with natural oils. "Anima Relinquens Corpus," or in Slovenian "The soul leaves the body," is a chair that attempts to commemorate the apocalyptic scenes of burnt forests, while also hinting that despite everything, there is still hope for a better future. But is humanity ready and capable of stopping the unstoppable?
2ND PLACE:HAMZA BAVČIĆ, KERF-FOLDING STOOL CHAIR, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
"KERF" is a space-saving chair that can be hung on a coat rack and stored like clothing in a closet. It is always ready for quick setup to serve incoming friends and family. Its purpose is to enrich plywood, make it flexible, and fold it like paper origami. It is designed for practical people living in small spaces. The name comes from the cutting technique; it is inspired by the CNC milling process and optimized for it to save production time and costs.
3rd PLACE: ALDO DELI & PARIDE STELLA, EVELYN, ITALIA
Evelyn is a armchair designed to redefine how we perceive seating furniture. The wooden structure is in constant dialogue with the fabric, which, like in a hammock, forms a suspended surface: this allows you to feel completely comfortable and surrounded. The almost perfect absence of contact with hard parts gives a pleasant feeling of lightness. The entire structure contains only five engineered or solid wood elements, machined with CNC milling and algorithmically optimized to provide maximum structural stability and minimal material consumption. The backrest features a continuous cutout containing a fabric guiding spiral, while the legs are attached with metal connections. The armchair exhibits a warm and contemporary appearance, while the interaction between the softness of the fabric and the sleekness of the structure provides an engaging and intriguing interplay of forces. Evelyn is designed to be completely disassembled into compact packaging.